Our Fitness Blog

The Best Type of Exercise for Reshaping Your Body

When it comes to exercise, many people think about running as their “go to” for fat loss. Running does work your heart (a lot actually) but, is it the best tool in your kit for fat loss? What about shaping your body into what you want it to be?

When you run, you are working your heart, but, you’re not changing the shape of your muscles at all.

If you’re wanting to lift your butt, get nice sexy arms for summer, or whittle your waistline, then your muscles are going to need some sort of resistance against them. We call this resistance training.

What kind of exercises will give you this?

Any kind of resistance pushing the muscles against something heavier, like weights, dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, kicking or punching kickboxing bags and bodyweight exercises are perfect for this.

What will you get out of resistance training? Well, first why don’t we talk about what you WON’T get?

You won’t get this effect:

Lifting weights and doing strength building exercises actually pulls your muscle closer to the bone therefore making you appear toned, instead of flabby. Also, muscle growth is a slow process, so, you aren’t going to wake up one morning with unbelievably huge muscles and wonder where they came from. But, you will notice clothes fitting better and overall shape of your body looking more and more proportioned. Most people are seeking this effect with any type of exercise, but they fail to get it and wonder why.

Another perk of resistance training is that is makes you stronger. Seems obvious, but what this means is that other activities you enjoy doing will become a bit easier and therefore, more enjoyable. So, if you’re a hiker, your hikes will improve. If you’re a runner, same thing.

Resistance training can also help improve your posture. When you walk taller, you not only look more fit but it can also increase your self-esteem. Studies show that when you improve your posture, you actually improve how you feel about yourself! Your brain responds positively to your spine being aligned correctly. So, sit up straight and walk tall!

When you do resistance exercises just make sure that you focus on your form being great.

Here is an at home circuit you can try:

5 push-ups (on knees if you cannot perform them perfectly on your toes yet) chest to the floor and chin up.

10 jump squats (keep knees over heels and sit your butt back like you’re going to sit down, keeping chest up and shoulders back) then up and jump! Land softly, with a bend in the knee.

Hold plank for 30 seconds (keep hips and body in one straight line, and hold abs in tight)

Repeat this 3 part circuit 5x and time yourself from start to finish. Do this at least 3 times a week. The fastest way to know if you’re stronger is to re-time yourself in about two weeks. See what happens! I’m sure you’ll be happy with the results.

At 9Round, resistance training is included in every station, every day. That’s why people see such fast results. People notice that they look better in their clothes and their friends notice too! If you’ve never given us a try, check us out!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that there are people who look at the above circuit and feel discouraged rather than excited. Did you know that at 9Round, we have helped many people lose more than 100 pounds and that they started with the types of exercises mentioned above? If they could do 5, they did 5. If they could not even do 1, they did what they could. They kept at it, and they got stronger. It is possible, in fact every one of the people I'm talking about found out very quickly that they were stronger than they thought they were! When you realize that you can dig deep and find an inner hero in yourself, amazing things can happen! Check out Michelle, Lindsey and Troy (just to highlight a few) here:

Heather Hudson has been with 9Round since inception in 2008 and is COO and Co-Founder of 9Round Franchising. She is a black belt in Shotokan Karate and grew up with a passion for fitness and overall wellness.